Review: 'Dracula' bites, and not in a good way

COHOES -- Cohoes Music Hall is without question one of the best producers of musical theater in the region. When it announced "Dracula," it might have been logical to assume they were doing the musical version created a few years ago by Frank Wildhorn, who wrote the musicals "Jekyll and Hyde" and "The Scarlet Pimpernel."

However, since the show failed on Broadway, it's understandable why C-R Productions instead opted to do the straight dramatic version of "Dracula." Nonetheless, after seeing the production which continues through April 19, I have to figure the musical version couldn't have been worse than this offering.

The sad thing about the tedious Saturday evening I spent at Cohoes Music Hall is it didn't have to be that way. The technical aspects of the show are impressive. Matt Fick's set is visually powerful and mood evoking. Fick's lighting might be too shadowy, but can you be too shadowy for "Dracula?" Shane Duffy's sound design is another plus, as it adds emotion to a presentation that lacks passion. Michelle D. Sagnakos' costumes add even more professionalism to the production as they set the period of the play.

Though I have a quarrel with certain aspects of every characterization, it is obvious every performer is talented. The problem with the acting isn't lack of skill, it is a lack of a commitment to the situation at hand and a wandering focus. In this production, if a performer has nothing to say or do, no one does anything. If actors do not invest in the moment, you can be sure neither will the audience.

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Almost all the production's problems can be attributed to the direction. But even here, there is a tendency not to forgive but to understand the demands of the play.

"Dracula" can be an overwhelming assignment, especially with this Steven Deitz script. Deitz's adaptation closely follows the Bram Stoker novel and keeps the melodramatic excesses and the flowery dialogue of the Victorian age. Too, Deitz uses a non-linear timeline that can be confusing.

To his credit Jerry Christakos, whose background is primarily musical theater, creates a visually attractive production. He often creates stage images that are stunningly effective and he uses evocative music to go along with the dramatic technical support.

Nonetheless, he fails to find the drama where it is most needed -- within the interaction of the characters. The performances are self-serving, with the actors apparently concentrating on their own characters and not connecting with others. This, coupled with an erratic pace and choppy scene transitions, suggests a production that is under-rehearsed. I wouldn't bet on it, but the show might improve throughout the run.

Were the entire cast as consistent as Gordon Gray, who brings a mature presence and a sense of commitment to Van Helsing, the one person who understands the threat of vampires, this would be a successful show. But no one else matches his mature performance.

Brian Nemiroff is a reserved, impassive and virile Dracula, which is effective until the character becomes threatening. At that point, the heightened emotions of the moment go against the character he's created and seem excessive.

Bix Bettwy has a similar problem with Renfield, Dracula's insane subordinate. When playing the enigmatic side of the man, Bettwy is effective, but his mad scenes tend to go over |the top.

The rest of the supporting cast is variable because most are forced to play types rather than people. The women, especially Laura Valpey as Lucy, are hampered by the demands Christakos' stylistic approach places on the characters. However, Abigail Taylor's Mina grows as the character becomes more feisty.

Philip Guerette as Seward and Adam Couperthwaite as Harker are only as good as their dialogue -- which is rarely memorable.

The same can be said for the Cohoes Music Hall production of "Dracula." It is not a memorable production.

Playbill: "Dracula" at the Cohoes Music Hall. 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday through April 19. Tickets: $28 to $32. Call 237-5858.